Kentucky Derby 2024: Projected Prize Money Earnings, Order of Finish and More

Derby Day has finally arrived, and on Saturday evening, a talented field of the world's best horses will compete in the first leg of the Triple Crown. This year marks the 150th running of the Kentucky Derby, and it's sure to bring plenty of excitement for racing fans.

For the trainers, jockeys and racing teams involved, the Kentucky Derby will provide a chance to win some serious cash. The prize pool was raised from $2 million to $2 million in 2019 and is taking an even bigger jump—to a whopping $5 million—this year.

"These record purse increases are a symbol of the health of horse racing in Kentucky," Bill Carstanjen, CEO of Churchill Downs Incorporated, said, per Darren Rogers of the Kentucky Derby's official website.

Here, you'll find a breakdown of the updated prize pool, the field and some predictions for the top money finishers.

The 150th Kentucky Derby

Stan Grossfeld/The Boston Globe via Getty Images

Louisville, KY - May 6: One of the 14 races held at Churchill Downs on Kentucky Derby day. (Photo by Stan Grossfeld/The Boston Globe via Getty Images)

Where: Churchill Downs in Louisville, Kentucky

Date: Saturday, May 4

Post Time: 6:57 p.m. ET

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$5 Million Prize Purse Breakdown

1st Place: $3.1 Million

2nd Place: $1 million

3rd Place: $500,000

4th Place: $250,000

5th Place: $150,000

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TV and Live-Stream (all times ET):

10:30 a.m. - 12:00 p.m.: FanDuel TV

12:00 - 2:30 p.m.: USA and Peacock

2:30 - 7:30 p.m.: NBC and Peacock

7:30 p.m. - Final Race.: FanDuel TV

Check out Vivid Seats for tickets to the 150th Kentucky Derby and other horse racing events.

Race Field and Updated Odds

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Sierra Leone

1. Dornoch: 21-1 odds

Trainer: Danny Gargan

Jockey Luis Saez

2. Sierra Leone: 9-2

Trainer: Chad Brown

Jockey: Tyler Gaffalione

3. Mystik Dan: 15-1

Trainer: Kenny McPeek

Jockey: Brian Hernandez Jr.

4. Catching Freedom: 8-1

Trainer: Brad Cox

Jockey: Flavien Prat

5. Catalytic: 34-1

Trainer: Saffie Joseph Jr.

Jockey: Jose Ortiz

6. Just Steel: 25-1

Trainer: Wayne Lukas

Jockey: Keith Asmussen

7. Honor Marie: 12-1

Trainer: Whit Beckman

Jockey: Ben Curtis

8. Just A Touch: 11-1

Trainer: Brad Cox

Jockey: Florent Geroux

9. Encino: Scratched

Trainer: Brad Cox

Jockey: N/A

10. T O Password: 49-1

Trainer: Daisuke Takayanagi

Jockey: Kazushi Kimura

11. Forever Young: 6-1

Trainer: Yoshito Yahagi

Jockey: Ryusei Sakai

12. Track Phantom: 40-1

Trainer: Steve Asmussen

Jockey: Joel Rosario

13. West Saratoga: 26-1

Trainer: Larry Demeritte

Jockey: Jesus Castanon

14. Endlessly: 46-1

Trainer: Michael McCarthy

Jockey: Umberto Rispoli

15. Domestic Product: 29-1

Trainer: Chad Brown

Jockey: Irad Ortiz Jr.

16. Grand Mo The First: 45-1

Trainer: Victor Barboza Jr.

Jockey: Emisael Jaramillo

17. Fierceness: 3-1

Trainer: Todd Pletcher

Jockey: John Velazquez

18. Stronghold: 32-1

Trainer: Phil D'Amato

Jockey: Antonio Fresu

19. Resilience: 87-1

Trainer: Bill Mott

Jockey: Junior Alvarado

20. Society Man: 49-1

Trainer: Danny Gargan

Jockey: Frankie Dettori

21. Epic Ride: 47-1

Trainer: John Ennis

Jockey: Adam Beschizza

22 (Alternate). Mugatu: Scratched

Trainer: Jeff Engler

Jockey: Joseph Talamo

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Odds via KentuckyDerby.com

Preview and Predictions

Andy Lyons/Getty Images

Fierceness

Only one horse from the initial field, Encino, was scratched before Friday's early-scratch deadline. This gave Epic Ride a chance to compete as an also-eligible but left Mugatu out of the field entering Saturday.

While Encino carried 20-1 odds following the post draw, the Brad Cox-trained mount wasn't among the early favorites. Fierceness, trained by Todd Pletcher, was the morning-line favorite and has remained the favorite throughout the week.

The Chad Brown-trained Sierra Leone has held steady as the second favorite. The two top contenders possess very different racing styles, though—Fierceness is a speedy front-runner, while Sierra Leone is a strong closer—so the battle between them could be decided early.

Fierceness will also have to overcome a bit of bad history. No horse has ever won the Kentucky Derby from the No. 17 gate, which is the horse's starting position. Owner Mike Repole, though, remains undaunted.

"The horse is just a different kind. He does everything so easy, so calm, so cool," Repole said, per Beth Harris of the Associated Press.

Quickly moving inside and establishing front positioning won't be easy for Fierceness, but neither the horse nor seasoned jockey John Velazquez will be inclined to panic.

Sierra Leone and jockey Tyler Gaffalione, meanwhile, will look to stalk and close on the front-runners near the end of the race. The early pace will decide which of these two strategies is most successful.

Naturally, we may not see a top favorite win at all, though. Justify was the last odds-on favorite to win the Kentucky Derby, and that happened back in 2018. Japanese horse Forever Young is a strong contender who will break from the 11th gate, though that position hasn't produced a winner since 1988.

Just a Touch and Catching Freedom, both trained by Brad Cox, are two other second-tier favorites to watch—along with the Whit Beckman-trained Honor Marie. Long shots like Dornoch, Mystik Dan, Resilience and Just Steel could be in the mix as well.

As Catalytic's trainer, Saffie Joseph Jr., noted, this year's race feels like Sierra Leone and Fierceness, then everyone else.

"On his best day, (Fierceness) is in a league of his own," Joseph said, per Jason Frakes of the Louisville Courier Journal. "Sierra Leone is a very good horse, too. Different running style. Those two horses are the standouts. After that, basically, it becomes wide open."

The prediction here is that one of the two favorites does indeed top the money list.

Projected Order of Finish

1. Sierra Leone

2. Fierceness

3. Forever Young

4. Mystik Dan

5. Just a Touch